Audiobooks narrated by Neil Shah

"Pothivelu Pandaram is known as a successful and God-fearing man about town–he has a loyal wife, three daughters, and ample money to pay for their dowries. However, it is an open secret that his success is fueled by a tawdry yet deeply profitable trade–for he owns a group of physically deformed beggars and places them outside various temples to make money for him. The beggars are mere 'items' to Pandaram, hardly human, to be bought and sold like cattle. But when the novel descends right into their world–the world of the 'abyss'–and places the listener in their midst, it takes on a marvelous, unexpected turn. Bitter, black, raw, and yet laced with humor and tenderness, The Abyss (Ezhaam Ulagam) is one of the most acclaimed works of the great Tamil writer Jeyamohan. It was adapted into an acclaimed film in 2009 called Naan Kadavul (I am God) which won a National Film Award for its director. Written with an unflinching eye and suffused with a deep existential longing, it is an extraordinary novel–in its terrain, its fundamental questions about humanity and its depiction of human suffering and liberation."

Jeyamohan (author) (Author), Neil Shah (Narrator)

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Speaking with Nature: The Origins of Indian Environmentalism

"By the canons of orthodox social science, countries like India are not supposed to have an environmental consciousness. They are, as it were, 'too poor to be green.' In this deeply researched book, Ramachandra Guha challenges this narrative by revealing a virtually unknown prehistory of the global movement set far outside Europe or America. Long before the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and well before climate change, ten remarkable individuals wrote with deep insight about the dangers of environmental abuse from within an Indian context. In strikingly contemporary language, Rabindranath Tagore, Radhakamal Mukerjee, J. C. Kumarappa, Patrick Geddes, Albert and Gabrielle Howard, Mira, Verrier Elwin, K. M. Munshi, and M. Krishnan wrote about the forest and the wild, soil and water, urbanization and industrialization. Positing the idea of what Guha calls 'livelihood environmentalism' in contrast to the 'full-stomach environmentalism' of the affluent world, these writers, activists, and scientists played a pioneering role in shaping global conversations about humanity's relationship with nature. Spanning more than a century of Indian history, and decidedly transnational in reference, this book offers rich resources for considering the threat of climate change today."

Ramachandra Guha (Author), Neil Shah (Narrator)

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Scaring and Daring: Terrifying Takes on 15 Classic Tales: A Horror Writers Association Anthology

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here! Get ready for a terrifying spin on some of literature’s most beloved tales—no story is safe! From Captain Hook’s run-in with dark magic to Sherlock Holmes narrowly escaping graveyard spirits to a happily never after for Cinderella, this horror anthology is anything but a bedtime story. In this terrifying new collection for young readers, the best-loved stories from the literary canon are revisited and reimagined with a deadly twist by some of the top authors working in middle grade today. Featuring tales from New York Times bestselling authors Jonathan Maberry and Kelley Armstrong, Carlos Hernandez, Lisa Morton, Maurice Broaddus, and many others, this collection will haunt you long after you turn the last page. Read on—if you dare! The complete list of writers: Teel James Glenn, Maxwell I. Gold, Lisa Morton, Tanvir Ahmed, Kelley Armstrong, Maurice Broaddus, Delilah S. Dawson, Joe R. Lansdale, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Carlos Hernandez, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Sarwat Chadda, Ai Jiang, Jonathan Maberry, Nancy Holder, Nathan Carson, and edited by Eric J. Guignard."

Horror Writers Association (Author), Amin El Gamal, Brian Nishii, Daniel Henning, Gary Tiedemann, Lauren Ezzo, Neil Shah (Narrator)

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Indian Country: A Novel

"From the award-winning author of Girls Burn Brighter, a couple from India-so different from generations of white colonialists who came before them-move to Montana, only to discover the secrets the land holds in this stunning literary novel. Janavi and Sagar were never meant to end up married. Janavi is a wonderfully independent, young modern Indian woman. She works for an organizaiton in India that helps street children, often lost to the world of human trafficking. Sagar is a trained hydraulic engineer, an expert in dam construction. He is the least favorite son, his parents never able to forgive him for an unspeakable act from his past. Sagar seeks refuge in his daydreams of one day finding hidden treasures in the fabled Indian river, the Ganges. Yet the two are forced together into an arranged marriage which neither of them wants. Even worse, Sagar has already accepted a job in America, in a strange place called Montana, where he will be in charge of dismantling a dam. Montana upends all their expectations. Sagar's white colleagues do not welcome him with open arms, and Janavi finds herself unable to forgive her sister who stayed behind in India whose betrayal led her to this marriage and this strange place. When a colleague of Sagar's is found drowned, Sagar is the obvious scapegoat. But is this death one in a long history of people of color paying the price for the white man's arrogance and expansionism? Just like the Ganges river that dominates Sagar's dreams, thoughout the novel runs short historical stories of settlers who conquered, both the west and India, who form the foundation upon which Sagar and Janavi stand. A bold, ambitious, stunningly beautiful yet brutal novel about colonialism and the rippling ramifications still felt today, Indian Country is a tour de force modern-day classic."

Shobha Rao (Author), Neil Shah (Narrator)

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The One and Only Rumi

"The inspiring story of Rumi's journey from a young refugee to a renowned poet shows how his childhood helped shape his poetry. Young Muhammad adores his home, and he loves waking up each day to the sound of birds singing. His father encourages him to keep singing through happy days as well as sad-just like the birds. And there are indeed sad days ahead when his family is forced to flee from Genghis Khan's army, becoming refugees. As they travel, Muhammad takes many lessons from nature, and his positivity and spirit of largess lights the way. This moving story based on the life of the beloved thirteenth-century poet Rumi celebrates showing love to everyone and offers a beautiful message of hope in troubled times."

Rabiah York (Author), Neil Shah (Narrator)

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Revolt Against Theocracy: The Mahsa Movement and the Feminist Uprising in Iran

"This book is the first in-depth account of the uprising in Iran that began on September 16, 2022, when a young woman, Mahsa Amini, was killed by the morality police. In the months that followed, protests and demonstrations erupted across Iran, representing the most serious challenge to the Iranian regime in decades. Women have played a key role in these protests, refusing to wear a hijab and cutting their hair in public to chants of 'Woman, Life, Freedom'. In Farhad Khosrokhavar's account, these protests represent the first truly feminist movement in Iran, and one of the first in the Muslim world, where women have been in the vanguard. There have been many movements in the Muslim world in which women have taken part, but rarely have women—and especially young women—been the driving force. The Mahsa Movement also championed non-Islamic, secularized values, based on the joy of living, the assertion of bodily freedom, and the quest for gender equality and democracy. Khosrokhavar gives a full account of the context of and background to the events triggered by the killing of Mahsa Amini, analyzes the character of the Mahsa Movement and the regime's repressive response to it, and draws out its broader significance as one of the most significant feminist movements and political uprisings in the Islamic world."

Farhad Khosrokhavar (Author), Neil Shah (Narrator)

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Sing the Truth: The Kweli Journal Short Story Collection

"A powerful must-read collection of bold BIPOC voices. All proceeds support The Kweli Journal's mission to nurture emerging writers of color and foster a vibrant literary community. 'It gave me great pleasure to read this beautiful collection of important, diverse, sometimes heartbreaking, and always moving stories; it had the extra benefit of introducing me to several authors whom I'd never read before and whose work I've started to seek out. Highly recommended.' —Nancy Pearl, acclaimed librarian, bestselling author, and literary critic "With this new collection of short stories, we are once again the beneficiaries of brilliant prose that dances off the pages and into our hearts. I'm proud to be in the chorus praising SING THE TRUTH." —Monique Greenwood, co-founder of Go On Girl! Book Club and owner of Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns "As the editor of the groundbreaking journal Kweli, Laura Pegram has introduced us to many of the finest writers of the contemporary literary landscape. In this new, monumental anthology, Pegram has gathered several of these writers, welcoming us to a luminous community in the word." —Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, author of The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois Hailed as "The Paris Review of BIPOC literature," The Kweli Journal has been a launching pad for many of today's most celebrated writers. Kweli—"truth" in Swahili—marks its fifteenth anniversary with this luminous collection edited by founder Laura Pegram. These vivid narratives explore the devastation of leaving home and the struggle to adapt to reimagined lives, lost loves, distant families, and buried pasts, deepening our understanding of the human experience. Featuring works from acclaimed authors Naima Coster, Nicole Dennis-Benn, Daphne Palasi Andreades, Susan Muaddi Darraj, and others, this anthology stands as a testament to voices too often overlooked in contemporary literature. 'The stories in this collection serve as windows into diverse communities while inviting readers of all backgrounds to engage with and appreciate the richness of our cultures.' —Edwidge Danticat, from the foreword of Sing the Truth"

TBD (Author), Almarie Guerra, Angel Pean, Bahni Turpin, Chante McCormick, Charlie Wood, Frankie Corzo, Jennifer Aquino, Karen Chilton, Luzma Ortiz, Natalie Naudus, Neil Shah, Rasha Zamamiri, Shayna Small, Timothy Andrés Pabon (Narrator)

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Shalash the Iraqi

"Populated by a cast of imagined con artists, holy fools, drag queens, and partisans—as well as some very factual politicians, priests, and generals—this novel started life as a pseudonymous blog written 'live' by 'Shalash' during and after the Second Iraq War. Shalash the Iraqi is here presented in its first authorized translation, with the blessing and commentary of 'Shalash' himself. The second US invasion of Iraq began in the spring of 2003. By the autumn of 2005, though the Saddam Hussein regime had reached its bloody end, ordinary Iraqis were seeing little improvement in their daily lives. Their country was 'free,' but to many it seemed free mainly to become a mire of sectarian violence, corruption, confusion, and fear. In the midst of this turmoil, a hero arose—or, rather, a jester. In a country where electricity was only intermittently available, a series of blog posts began to appear at a soon-to-be-defunct website and took Baghdad by storm. Individual entries were printed out and passed around for months, until the pages were nearly shredded. Where neither computers nor printers were available, the posts were retold aloud, then passed along at second- and third-hand. What could inspire such devotion? Signed 'Shalash the Iraqi,' the posts proved to be nothing less than portions of a madcap serial novel thumbing its nose at Iraq's new normal."

Shalash (Author), Neil Shah (Narrator)

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The Christ of the Indian Road, Expanded Edition 100th Anniversary

"For those searching for truth and a map to help lead them down the path of The Way. For more than one hundred years, E. Stanley Jones has led the way in evangelism by contextualizing Christ in the existing culture, wherever that may be. In The Christ of the Indian Road, he recounts his experiences in India, where he arrived as a young and presumptuous missionary who later matured into a veteran who attempted to contextualize Jesus Christ within the Indian culture. Jones names the mistakes many Christians make in trying to impose their culture on the existing culture. Instead, he makes the case that we learn from other cultures, respect the truth found there, and let Christ and the existing culture do the rest. Introduced with a foreword by Leonard Sweet, this expanded edition includes essays by church leaders reflecting on the impact of Jones's revolutionary approach to discovering the Jesus already present in each culture and what those learnings mean for the church today. Contributors include: Most Rev. Dr. Theodosius Mar Thoma Metropolitan, Dr. Sathianathan Clarke, Rev. Dr. John Thatamanil, Very Rev. Abraham O. Kadavil Corepiscopos, and Rev. Dr. Shivraj Mahendra."

E. Stanley Jones (Author), Lyle Blaker, Neil Shah (Narrator)

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My Brother, My Land: A Story from Palestine

"A riveting and unapologetic account of Palestinian resistance, the story of one family's care for their land, and a reflection on love and heartache while living under military occupation. In 1967, Sireen Sawalha's mother, with her young children, walked back to Palestine against the traffic of exile. My Brother, My Land is the story of Sireen's family in the decades that followed and their lives in the Palestinian village of Kufr Ra'i. From Sireen's early life growing up in the shadow of the '67 War and her family's work as farmers caring for their land, to the involvement of her brother Iyad in armed resistance in the First and Second Intifada, Sami Hermez, with Sireen Sawalha, crafts a rich story of intertwining voices, mixing genres of oral history, memoir, and creative nonfiction. Through the lives of the Sawalha family, and the story of Iyad's involvement with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hermez confronts listeners with the politics and complexities of armed resistance and the ethical tensions and contradictions that arise, as well as with the dispossession and suffocation of people living under occupation and their ordinary lives in such times. Whether this story leaves listeners discomforted, angry, or empowered, they will certainly emerge with a deeper understanding of the Palestinian predicament."

Sami Hermez (Author), Neil Shah (Narrator)

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Ladies’ Tailor

"This is a story of Gurdev and his cohort, a group of refugees who travel east from Pakistan after Partition. It is a tale of falling apart and coming together as the world burns around them. Will Gurdev be successful in his new business of making garments for women? Will he find love after his wife and children leave his side? There may be uncertainty here, but there is also relentless hope. Journey back in time and experience the refugee spirit as Ladies' Tailor captures you with all its romance, adventure, and one man's iron will to not just survive, but to thrive with new beginnings."

Priya Hajela (Author), Neil Shah (Narrator)

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OCT 7: The War Against Hamas Through the Eyes of an Israeli Commando Officer

"On the morning of October 7, 2023, Israelis awoke to a harrowing reality. Not only were hundreds of rockets being launched from Gaza into Israeli population centers, but the security border had also been breached by several thousand Hamas terrorists. Carnage, not seen since the Second World War, ensued. Elkana Cohen, Captain of an Elite Commando Unit was called, along with thousands of other reservists, to prepare for war. One that will have to ensure nothing less than Israel's survival. In notebooks he found on the ground in the streets of Gaza, Cohen began writing a diary. Every day, he candidly documented the sights of the war. From an honest, precise, and fluid first-person perspective, Cohen presents the feeling and story of the war from the eyes of the heroes who were there: the dust, the sweat, the brotherhood, the longing, and the awful smell of death and destruction. Cohen's writing poignantly describes his relationships with his fellow comrades, the mass arrests of terrorists, the homes of Hamas members, the story of the fallen soldiers, and the desperate hope to bring the hundreds of Israeli hostages home. OCT 7 is not only the story of one Israeli officer, but it is also the narrative of an entire nation. A nation that stepped up without a moment's hesitation to face an existential challenge with a sense of purpose and mission."

Capt. Elkana (Kuno) Cohen (Author), Neil Shah (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Neil Shah